Posted: July 18, 2008 2 a.m. EDT
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| Himalayan cats require frequent grooming to prevent stool problems. |
Q: My 1-year-old Himalayan cat drops a small ball of feces, which is becoming quite a habit. Her cat pan is cleaned daily, and she eats dry food, which she prefers to be left out at all times. Why would my cat drop little balls of feces around the house?
A: I’m not sure I can tell exactly what the problem is from the wording in your letter. If you’re concerned that your cat is occasionally, unintentionally dropping a small ball of feces around the house rather than in her litterbox, well, this may have to do with her being a Himalayan cat. Himalayans have long, thick coats, and sometimes a piece of stool gets caught in the fur around the cat’s anus, rather than falling into the litter pan.
Later, that piece of stool can fall from the cat’s fur in an inappropriate place. Many of my clients bring their longhaired cats in regularly to have the fur under the cats’ tails trimmed to help prevent the problem you described. You may want to take your cat to your veterinarian or groomer to have the fur around her rear end shaved. This could resolve the problem.